Disney princess culture harms girls, according to a new study

You'd be an anomaly if, as a little girl, you weren't really into Disney. The notion of being a princess who'll get her happily ever after is something most young girls grow up with, and for many of us our passion for all things Disney has continued right through to adulthood.

But a new study has suggested that the idealistic world of Disney might not be such a good thing for young girls after all. According to a new study from Brigham Young University, there's a "long-term impact of the princess culture".

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And it's all linked to gender-stereotyping and body image issues. We've all seen the various fun re-imaginations of Disney princesses - with relatable plus-size figures, swapped over gender roles, the list goes on - but actually, all those re-imaginations might be making an important point.

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The study, which was published in the Child Development journal, assessed 198 children of pre-school age and found that those with higher levels of engagement with the concept of Disney princesses - either through toys or movies or both - had greater gender-stereotypical behaviour and were more self-critical.

And Sarah M. Coyne, one of the researchers in the study, explained why this is worrying. "We know that girls who strongly adhere to female gender stereotypes feel like they can't do some things. They're not as confident that they can do well in maths and science. They don't like getting dirty, so they're less likely to try and experiment with things," she said.

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It's also concerning in terms of body image issues later in life, Coyne notes. She said: "Disney princesses represent some of the first examples of exposure to the thin ideal. As women, we get it our whole lives, and it really does start at the Disney princess level, at age 3 and 4." And she's got a point.

Given that women have to work that bit harder to assert ourselves in order to access equal opportunity in today's world, the gender imbalance of children engaging with Disney could well play a part in continuing to fuel this.

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The research revealed that 96% of girls and 87% of boys had consumed Disney princess media - not hugely disproportionate figures. However, when it came to engaging with Disney princess ideology on a greater level - playing with princess toys at least once a week - young girls (61%) were found to do this much more frequently than young boys (4%).

Disney

So while this is no suggestion that Disney is completely negative influence and should be cut from all our lives (NEVER), researcher Sarah Coyne recommends that 'everything in moderation' is the key.

And hopefully going forward, Disney will continue to act on their responsibility to promote a variety of role models in their characters, which we hope will serve to teach girls they don't need to conform to a 'one size fits all' box for the entirety of their life.